As Red As Blood
by queen of the solar system
Summary: Elpis tries to get over childhood tranima. Conall swears revenge on the person who killed his father. A little red riding hood story
1. Pain

Hi ya! Q of the Solar System here! I hope you enjoy the first chapter of my new story, "As Red As Blood."

Disclaimer: I don't own Little Red Riding Hood.

**Pain**

Elpis Couch smiled to herself as she packed a basket for her Grandmother. _Okay _She thought. _Jam check. Bread, check. A small bottle of ale, check. I'm ready to go._

As she walked to the door she threw on the poppy red cloak her Grandmother had given her. It represented protection for her.

It took her fifteen minutes to walk though the forest her Grandmother chose to live in. Soon she saw the familar little cottage with its stone walls and thatched roof, but something wasn't right.. A strange metallic smell filled her nose.

Frightened of what she may find, Elpis continued towards the door. She opened slowly. What she would see next would haunt for the rest of her life.

Body parts thrown all around the one room cottage. In the middle of all this stood a ragged man of about six feet with lifeless green eyes and auburn hair, holding a half chewed arm in his hand. Worst of all, on the center of the table lay her Grandmother's head, her beautiful pitch black eyes now lifeless.

Elpis took one look at this scene and did what any sensible child of eight would do: she ran as fast as she could. The man started to chase after her.

"Luck is with me today," He laughed. "First an easy meal, now child flesh the delcity of delcities."

He changed into a wolf. She gasped mentally. He was shifter!

He had almost caught up to her. He leap though the air to pounce on her. Elpis panicked grabbed an ax left by a woodsman. As he came down she cut off his head.

Blood sprayed everywhere though the afternoon breeze, landing on the grass, trees, flowers, a passing bird, and on Elpis hair and clothes, blending in to her red cloak.

"Who are you?"

The voice startled her. She turned around and saw a man around thirty with blond hair and gray eyes looking at her. He was wearing a brown shirt, a gray vest and green pants. His eyes looked at her worried. There was.. kindness in them.

She collapsed to the ground. He took off his vest and wrapped it around her shoulders.

"Did you kill him?"

Elpis nodded.

"Do you want to go home?"

She nodded again, took his hand and started to show him back to her home, still in a state of shock about what had transpired.

Twelve year old Conall wondered impatiently where his father was. Supper would start soon and because of shifter traditions, everyone had to wait for everyone else to come before they could start the meal. Since his father was a shifter lord the rule was doubly important.

He sighed. Not that his father had been fellowing the Shifter traditions himself lately. Going off places doings who knows what. Some of the thing whispered about were not pleasant at all. Such as eating raw meat, eating humans, destroying homes. Still Conall chose not to listen to the rumors. That would be disloyal to his father, and when his big brother Bleddyn had died last year he had made Conall promise to stay loyal to their father. Not that it was always easy.

He heard noise. Two men from the nearby village had came. In their arms they held something. Conall started to walked forward.

When he got close enough to see what it was, he screamed and ran over. It was his father dead.

"So Lycurgus went crazy and killed a human." One of the shifter lords said.

"Makes sense." A voice muttered in the crowd.

Conall couldn't think straight. He may not have agreed with his father all the time or even liked him. Still since his mother and brother died from last year's sickness, he was all that Conall had left. All he had left.

"Who did this?" He asked the villagers. "Was it you?"

"Um, no." One said. "A little girl wearing a red cloak killed him in self defense."

A little girl with a red cloak? Well from that day forth he decided he would not rest till he had revenge on Little Red Riding Hood.

A/N: Sorry for the emoness. Please review!


	2. Pride

Hi ya! Q of the Solar System here! I hope you enjoy the second chapter of "As Red As Blood."

Disclaimer: I don't own Little Red Riding Hood.

**Pride**

Elpis washed her face in water from the nearby stream. It was a hot again. She looked around to make sure no one was watching her and started to strip. She might as well get a bath now. Who knew when she'd come by another stream again?

The fifteen year old smiled as she sunk into the water. She cleaned herself off as much as she could. Her red hair had recently been cut to her ear lopes. She was short for her age though her weight was normal. As she stepped out of the water and put her clothes back on, she reflected that almost no one called her by her name anymore instead they referred to her as...

"Little Red Riding Hood!" A male voice yelled. "Prepare to die."

She yawned as she stepped out of the wall of the charging attacker. He fell flat on his face. She smirked at him.

"Waited till I finished changing? I didn't know you were so bashful Conall."

"Shut up." The young shifter said as he stood up. At six feet tall with hazel eyes and auburn hair, he might have been considered handsome if he wasn't scowling.

Elpis blue eyes twinkled. She couldn't believe he was still trying to kill her. She could still remember on the day of her grandmother's funeral a boy coming up to her and telling he was going to kill her one day. At first she was afraid, but over the years had gotten over it. Maybe it was because of Conall's clumsiness.

"Go ahead and laugh." He said. "Will you laugh now?"

His teeth grew slightly longer, claws grew in place of hands and his ears turned to tufts.

Elpis tried not to shiver. Even after seven years she was still afraid of wolves.

Conall saw her shiver and smirked changing back into a complete human.

She sighed. At least he had resisted turning into a full wolf. "Well, I guess I should say goodbye."

His smirk changed to a look of confusion. "Why?"

"Didn't tell you? I'm going to be shoulder soon. For the army of the side of light."

In Magica there were two sides fighting. A side of darkness and side of light. The side of darkness wanted to invade the human world and the side of light didn't. That was what the whole war was about basically.

"You talked about. I didn't think you'd go." He was leaning back on his heels.

"I've been training in fighting for years. I figured I should do something with my skills."

"Your going to be a walking target wearing that you know."

"Wearing what?" She looked down at her fawn brown boots, leggings and tunic.

"What do you think? The cloak of course."

"Oh yeah." She said fingering it. It still meant protection for her. "I'm going keep wearing though."

"Well, I guess that mean I'll still be ab-" He leaned to far back and fell into the stream.

She stifled a giggle and started to walk away.

"Damn you Little Red Riding Hood!" Conall called after her. "Mark my words, I'll still have my revenge on you."

She walked though the forest pausing when she saw her Grandmother's cottage. She stopped smiling. She remembered grass beneath her very feet being stained with the blood of Lycurgus.

"Riding Hood?"

She turned quicky and smiled. It was Damon Deforest, the woodcutter who had helped home that day.

"Damon! Glad to see you."

"You're leaving right?"

"Yeah. Figured it was about time."

"Gretal will be heartbroken."

"Why? She'll get to join in a few years if she wants to."

"She probably will. She thinks invincible ever since she killed that witch. Maybe I should join."

"Nonsense! Your too old for such foolishness."

"Insults! Is that your goodbye for me?"

"Nope." She leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the forehead. "Goodbye. I'll try to write."

"Bye take care of yourself."

She smiled. "You too."

A/n: Please review!


	3. Pride Pt2

Hi ya! Q of the Solar System here! I hope you enjoy the third chapter of "As Red As Blood."

Disclaimer: I don't own Little Red Riding Hood.

**Pride: Part Two**

Conall was ringing out his shirt. Typical Little Red Riding Hood! She laughed at him and then walked away without even offering to help him out of the water. How rude could you get?

He heard noise behind and moved into a fighting stance. The person was Damon who was holding up his hands in surrender. Conall rolled his eyes and relaxed his position.

"Oh its you."

"Yes, it is. Did you run into Riding Hood?"

"I did."

"So, what are you going to do now?"

"What do you think?" Conall asked. "I'm continuing on my mission. Nothing will stop me. Not sleet, not snow, not dark of night. I will not rest until she is dead by my hands alone."

Damon smiled. "I see you haven't changed."

Conall sighed. "I don't get that about you Damon. You're all buddy-buddy with Riding Hood, but yet when ever I say I'm going to kill her or something all you do is laugh or smile. Why?"

"I wouldn't laugh if I actually thought you would do something like that."

"Oh. So you think I'm weak, huh?"

"Well," Damon started. "You've had numerous opportunities to kill her, but you haven't done anything. Why?"

"I want to win against her in a fair fight. I would look like a coward and a sneak otherwise."

"How come you never use you're shifting form to kill her. You know she's afraid of it."

"I don't believe in using people's weaknesses against them like that. Its dishonerble."

"Well, I don't know. I mean if you're that eager to kill her you would done something by now."

Conall stared at him then shock his head. "You know Damon if I have to meet you in my next life I hope you're reincarnated as someone who doesn't talk so much." He pulled his now dry shirt.

"So, I guess you don't want me to warn you about what's coming behind you."

"What are you tal-"

At that moment something jumped on Conall's back knocking him to the ground.

"Hi Conall!" A cheerful voice squeaked.

"Get off me brat!" He snarled recognizing the voice instantly.

"Oh sorry." The creature said as it slid off his back. "Are you hurt?"

"Oh Gretal, don't ask silly questions." Damon said. "We all know Conall is invincible. I mean look all the falls he's taken in the last year alone and always come out alive."

"Shut up. Just shut up already."

The creature appeared to be a small girl of eight years with black eyes and hair. She had a sad expression on her face. "Oh come on Conall. That's mean."

"Well, its mean to brother to brother people when they wanted to be alone."

"Really?"

"Yes it is. Where's your brother anyways?"

"Oh he's working today!"

"Still an blacksmith's apprentice huh?"

"Yep."

"Why don't you do something useful like that?"

"But I'm in training to be a warrior. Just like Riding Hood!"

"I see." Conall started to walk away.

"Help me train Conall."

"Not a chance!'

"Uh what will it hurt," Damon said. "Help her train."

"Can't everyone just leave me alone?"

At sunset Conall walked Gretal and Damon back to their cottage. Gretal had fallen asleep and he was giving her a piggy back ride.

Gretal wasn't really Damon's child. Her real parents had abandoned her and her brother, Hansel, in the woods around their house. A witch had tried to eat both of the children, but Gretal had pushed the witch into an oven killing her instantly. Her real parents still didn't want back even though she had became a hero. Maybe even less so. Damon had volunteered to adopt them when he heard about the story. They had been living with him and his wife for a year now.

They reached Damon's cottage. Conall handed Gretal to the man. He smiled.

"She's an okay kid when she's quiet." He said. "That only happens when she's sleeping though."

Damon nodded slightly. "Are you going back to night?"

"Yeah probably. I haven't been in awhile. Besides I have to ask for permission to fellow Little Red Riding Hood."

"Good luck."

"Thanks."

Conall sat impatiently though out the meeting of the wolf-shifters pack. Couldn't it go any faster?

"So it is agreed that the wolf-shifters as group won't joint one side or the other in the war." Loup, leader of the wolf-shifter pack said. "However, if an individual so chooses he may join the war on either side."

"Agreed." The pack said together.

"Okay. Now we eat!"

A cheer went though the crowd, and people started to exit the meeting hall to go to the eating hall. Conall decided this was his change now. He walked up to Loup he was starting to get out of his chair.

"Honorable Conall, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Eminent Loup, I wish to fellow the human Riding Hood to the wars."

"You're joining the wars?" Loup raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't sound like you."

"No. I just want to fellow her for personal reasons."

"Personal reasons? Oh you're still trying to avenge for your father."

"Yes, sir."

"Many people would say Lycurgus isn't worth all the time you've put into this."

"I know what people say. But this is my own personal battle."

The wolf shifter-leader looked amused. "Very well. You may go, but on one condition."

"What is it?"

"You must come back every year for a pack meeting."

"I can do that. Thank you sir. You're too kind."

"I know. Now let's go eat."

Conall couldn't believe his good luck. He had expected that he'd need to work hard to convince Loup to let him go, but he had gotten off fairly easily. He walked passed a young couple. He vaguely recognized them as his childhood friends Ulf and Ylva. He sighed. He really was out of touch with most of the pack. On well it didn't matter. All that matter to him was his mission.

A/n: please review.


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